Saturday, August 04, 2012

The experiment

This summer has been the summer of experimenting with pickles. It started innocently; with an impulse purchase of "farm stand style" pickles. Then, we tried David Chang's salty pickles. I tried to like them. The idea of pickling cucumbers in their own juices is interesting. But in the end, they were just salty and not very good.

Then, I experimented with using the brine I use for peppers for feta brushcetta on cucumbers. That was hugely successful and delicious. Especially delicious on a caprese sandwich. (equal parts sugar and red wine vinegar. . . about 1/4 cup each . . . a grated clove of garlic, a pinch of salt, about 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, and a grind of black pepper. Shake it up until all the sugar is dissolved and pour over sliced cucumbers. Stash in the fridge for several hours.)

Today, I made a jar of what I hope will be delicious, spicy, pickled okra. We'll know in a week. And, with luck, next weekend will be bloody mary weekend.